Albuquerque officer charged with soliciting intimate favors from female suspect

The Albuquerque Police Department almost looks like it is in free fall, with them getting one mess almost handled when another pops up. I could fill weeks of videos up with all the scandals in recent years. One that is making headlines recently is where officer Liam King did an exceedingly intimate search of a female suspect, which of course was when his body camera was off.

The DA's office was confident enough of what they were doing that they put him on the Brady List, along with bringing charges. This seems to be a case of command failure with the department, as there are far too many instances where these officers end up being violent or like this guy. That means that the officers in the department feel like they can do all of these things. I hope that the people of that city can get the right people in office to clean all of this up.

The Charges

Here, via KOAT 7, is what happened that got King arrested.

https://www.koat.com/article/apd-officer-liam-king-pleads-not-guilty-to-multiple-charges/63243325

Albuquerque police Officer Liam King pled not guilty to multiple charges on Monday relating to a 2023 incident when he was accused of inappropriately searching a female suspect in Albuquerque. He is currently on administrative leave, according to APD.

King was indicted and charged last month for false imprisonment, demanding or receiving a bribe, violation of ethical principles, and sexual contact.

The alleged victim is not being named. Her body was redacted in a new lapel video obtained by KOAT on Tuesday.

She told investigators King approached her on June 25, 2023, asking if she wanted a cigarette. It was "a slow night" and he was "bored," the woman recollects. She estimates the total interaction with the officer was around 45 minutes.

King's body camera was turned off.

Based on the woman's recollection, around six hours after the interaction, King allegedly asked her three times if he could search her after running her name through his database and finding she had a non-extraditable warrant in Sandoval County.

"I'm not going to look in your purse or anything. I'm just going to search your body," the woman told investigators King said.

The woman said King asked her to put her hands on the car and told her to spread her legs. "Immediately, I felt uncomfortable," the woman told investigators.

She says King began the search and ran two fingers on the inside of her underwear, touching her private areas as a result. "I've been searched a lot, but never searched like that, at all, ever," she said.

The woman said her breast was exposed as King continued his search.

"I immediately took my hand off the car, and I put my hand on my chest, and I was like, 'Officer, I don't think you're supposed to be doing that,'" she said.

In an interview with detectives, King confirmed that her breast was exposed as a result of the search. He repeatedly told investigators he did not perform any criminal sexual contact.

Dismissed Cases

Here, via another KOAT article, is the cases dropped and Brady List.

https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-officer-indicted-felony-arrests-dismissed/63086123

While prosecutors deliberated on whether to charge an Albuquerque police officer on sexual misconduct charges, he was making arrests, many of which were ultimately dismissed.

And at least two felony cases were tossed out directly tied to his inclusion on a misconduct list and the investigation into him.

Former prosecutor John Day says this case could highlight a breakdown between the DA's office and APD which led to some of the officer’s felony arrests being tossed.

“So who's at fault? I mean, you know, that's a question that's above my pay grade,” Day said.

The DA's office sent a memo to APD asking why King was on leave when the officer informed them he couldn't testify in a case. They were wanting to know so they could put the officer on what is called a Giglio or Brady list.

“These are lists of police officers who have had misconduct reports, who have had reports of bad incidents, who have had reports of dishonesty,” Day said.

Day said prosecutors are legally required to disclose this information to defense attorneys in cases where such officers are involved.

Currently there are 19 officers in Bernalillo County including King who are on the list.

“If I’m a defense lawyer in a criminal case and I see that this officer… has had reports of dishonesty, I’m going to tear into that like a pit bull with a raw steak,” said Day.

In King’s case, the DA’s office filed at least two notices citing his inclusion on the list as the reason for dismissing cases

Target 7 searched through court records and found that 40 of King’s felony cases were dismissed after he was allowed to return to work citing these reasons:

• Five cases where the state declined to prosecute.

• Five cases dismissed “in the interest of justice.”

• 28 cases requiring further investigation.

• Two cases explicitly dismissed due to King’s presence on the Giglio List, a record of officers with documented misconduct.

Most of the dismissed cases involved drug-related offenses from traffic stops.

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